Crime Analysis

Crime Analysis Process

Crime analysis uses a set of systematic analytical processes directed at providing timely and pertinent information related to current crime trends and trend correlations to assist the operational, investigative and administrative personnel in the planning and deployment of resources. The information gathered from this process will be used to more effectively and efficiently prevent crime and apprehend criminals.

What Does a Crime Analyst Do?

Study crime and profile suspects

Analyze crime data to forecast the day, time, and place a crime is likely to occur and to prevent it from happening

Communicate crime patterns to detectives and patrol officers to produce efficient law enforcement

A Crime Analyst uses three types of crime analysis:

Tactical

Strategic

Administrative

For each analysis type and in order to plot suspect activity, the crime analyst scrutinizes all the crime data that enters the police agency daily through crime / police reports. After extracting relevant crime data, the crime analyst tracks that criminal activity in a database or by computer mapping software.

Tactical Crime Analysis

Concentrates on crimes that are an immediate threat to the community such as rape, burglary, robbery, and serial murders

Detects a pattern from crimes by studying and linking common factors together such as method, suspect physical description, and weapon used

Disseminates information regarding the anticipated crime to patrol officers and to detectives to provide suspect leads and to prevent the crime

Strategical Crime Analysis

Make informed resource decisions to determine where police presence needs to be increased or decreased

Administrative Crime Analysis

Provide special reports to chiefs of police and city councils that interpret crime statistics categorized by factors such as geographical locations and/or economical conditions

Keep officers informed of crime statistics and patterns

Justify the number of officers within the agency or requesting more officers

Write a request for a federal grant to increase the agency’s budget

Give speeches on crime prevention to organizations such as Neighborhood Watch Programs